Tour of Denmark’s Culture & History

We arrive and meet at our hotel in Copenhagen where we have a welcome dinner. (D)

After breakfast, we begin the day with a visit ot the National Museum of Denmark. Our guides will spend time putting Denmark into a historic and cultural perspective during a 90 minute tour of the museum. As part of a general city of Copenhagen we  visit Amalienborg Castle, the home of the Danish royal family. Then, we visit the magnificent Church of Our Saviour, with its ornate baroque spire. Later this afternoon, our guide takes us on a walking tour Nyhavn.  We also see the iconic Little Mermaid bronze sculpture, which sits on a rock at the city's waterside, and the canal-front entertainment district of Nyhavn. As evening approaches you have time to continue exploring Nyhavn with a chance fro an evening meal or refreshment. Odyssey will then arrange for a transfer back to the hotel from this vibrant part of the city. (B)

After breakfast, we take a walking tour of Alternative Christiania, a former military barracks and famously progressive autonomous area of the city. In the afternoon we visit Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a marvellous art museum with a particularly lovely sculpture collection, and paintings from many European masters. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek has extensive collections of sculptures and paintings it houses the finest  art in Copenhagen. Paintings by famous Impressionists by Monet - Renoir - Degas - Cézanne  from part of the collection. Post Impressionists works by van Gogh - Toulouse-Lautrec - Paul Gauguin  represented in the collection as well. Glyptotheca A “glyptotheca” is a building or room devoted to works of sculpture - and The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek houses more than 10,000 works. It  has the  largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe - which makes it one of the most popular art museums in Denmark.  (B)

After breakfast, we have the morning to explore several of Copehnaghen's finest attractions: an entrance to the Christiansborg Palace (the Danish seat of government), a visit to the gorgeously peaceful Royal Library Gardens, and entrance to the Design Museum Denmark. This afternoon we travel to Sweden where we spend the afternoon learning about Malmo. Our journey is made using the tunnel bridge between the two cities that opened in 2000. WE have a guided tour of Malmo, before  enjoying a few hours at your own leisure to explore the city. We have a group evening meal and then return to Copenhagen in the evening. (B,D)

After breakfast, we transfer to Roskilde via coach. There, we visit Denmark's first Gothic cathedral, the imposing Roskilde Cathedral. Then, we visit the Viking ship museum and take a sailing trip on Roskilde Fjorde. Next, we travel to Borre, where we walk the 994 steps to view the magnificent chalk cliffs of Mons Klint. We then transfer to Nykobing where we spend the night. (B)

In the morning, after breakfast, we transfer by coach to Nakskov. There, we take a cruise with a postboat - which takes letters and good to the islanders - on the Nakskov Fjord. Following the cruise, we transfer to Stokkemarke where we visit the Knuthenlund farm shop, where we take a guided tour which includes a cheese tasting. To end the day we return to Nykobing where we spend the night. (B)

After breakfast, we transfer to Tars, and take a ferry to Spodsbjerg and transfer from there to Svendborg. Here, we'll visit Valdemars Slot, a small seventeenth century palace. Also on Svdendborg, we'll visit a winery and enjoy a tasting. We then head to Kvaerndrup where we'll enter the picturesque Egeskov Castle, the best preserved water castle in Europe. After this we travel to Bojden, take a ferry to Fynshav; from here we transfer back to Sonderborg where we spend the night. (B)

Today, following breakfast, we begin by boarding a coach to head to Sonderborg in southern Denmark. We have a guided tour of the city's main sights. Entrance is included to the Dybbol Banke 1864 museum (a building with remarkable architecture), which commemorates the Danish-Prussian war of 1864. We also visit the picturesque Dybbol Mill. Following this, we take a guided tour along the Gendarme Path, a picturesque route once used by border Gendarmes, to Padborg. We then visit one of Europe's best-preserved prisoner of war camps, the Froslev Camp Museum. We return to Sonderborg where we spend the night. (B)

After breakfast, we begin the day with a transfer to the medieval town of Tonder,  near the Danish-German border, where we enjoy a guided tour of the city's main sites. We get the opportunity to view the lovely Castle Schlackenborg. We then transfer to Skaerbek, where we have a guided tour of the Hjemsted Oldtidspark open air museum. The museum recreates Danish life in the iron age. We then transfer to Ribe where we spend the night. (B)

After breakfast we take a tour of Ribe, Denmark's oldest town. Ribe Domkirke (Ribe's cathedral) is one of Denmark's most impressive attractions, containing a range of architectural styles as evidence of its long history - the building's first stone was laid in 1110. We visit the Ribe Viking Museum, where visitors discover what it was like to live, work, fight, and worship as a Viking. Pending timing and availability, there is also the opportunity tot take an afternoon "Black Sun" tour, in which we witness the birds begin their migration in response to the earlier setting of the sun. We spend the night in Ribe. (B)

Today, after breakfast at the hotel, we take an excursion to Wadden Sea National Park, a popular spot for birds and seals. We take a tour to Samso (either by tractor bus or on foot, depending on the tide). Following the day of exploring, we return to Ribe to spend the night. (B)

After breakfast, we transfer to Herning, where we will visit the Textilforum, an excellent design museum with a focus on the local textile industry. Next, we transfer to Struer, where weenjoy a guided tour of the Struer Museum, which celebrates the region's beauty and successes, and includes a Bang & Olufsen showroom. We then transfer to Aalborg where we spend the night. (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to Hou and take a ferry to the island of Samso where we enjoy a "green energy" tour. Samso is entirely powered by renewable energy, and was the first ever island to be so. Samso is the home of the Energy Academy, a centre of research and education. After our visit we take a ferry back to Hou, and return to Aalberg where we spend the night. (B)

Today we enjoy a guided tour of Aalborg, a charming and lively city which claims to be Europe's happiest! We enjoy a Smorrebrod lunch in a local restaurant. Smorrebrod is a Danish open-faced sandwich, typically rye bread topped with meat, cheese, or fish. In the afternoon we visit the magificent Utzon center, an architecture design museum and educational centre designed by Jorn Utzon and his son Kim. We spend the night in Aalborg. (B,L)

We follow breakfast with an Excurson to North Jutland from where we will be able to view Skaggerak (a strait running between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) and the Rabjerg Mile sand dunes. We'll also see Tilsandene Kirke, or the Sand-Covered Church; a striking fourteenth century church that was closed in 1795, ending nearly 200 years of the congregation having to dig away an obstructive sand drift in order to access the door. Then, we visit the Viking Burial site and museum at Lindholm Hoje in the beautiful Danish countryside. Then we return to Aalborg to spend the night. (B)

In the morning, following breakfast, we transfer to Aarhus where we will head to the Moesgaard Museum. This is an open-air museum with a focus on ethnography and anthropology, which guides us through Denmark's storied history. You then have the chance to explore Aarhus, a beautiful harbour town and Denmark's second largest city,  by yourself. We then transfer to Jelling where we'll experience the wonder of the Jelling stones, with runes inscribed upon them. We then transfer to Odense where we'll spend the night. (B)

In the morning, after breakfast, a guide shows us the local sites related to Hans Christian Andersen, who was born in Odense. We then visit the Hans Christian Andersen Museum.  We then take a guided tour of Funen Nillage, an open air museum that has around 30 buildings from the seventeenth to nineteenth century, all moved to the museum from the Funen region. The village is also home to approximately fifty animals, all old breeds that may have populated the original Funen villages. We enjoy coffee and cake at a local restaurant. We spend the night in Odense. (B)

After breakfast we begin the day with a transfer to Hillerod. We visit the extraordinary and ornate Frederiksborg Castle. We then see the Nordmandsdalen sculpture park, which holds seventy statues. The park was originally created in the eighteenth century and recently recreated. We then travel to Humblebaek where we visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which houses one of the finest collections of international modern art. Then, travelling to Copenhagen, we stop to view the astonishing Oresund Bridge, which joins Sweden and Denmark. We spend the night in Copenhagen. (B)

After breakfast, we begin our day with a Copenhagen canal boat tour. We then enjoy a walking tour we learn about the increasingly popular Danish concept of "hygge", and how it relates to Danish culture and lifestyle. The afternoon is at your leisure, and we enjoy a farewell dinner in Tivoli Gardens. (B,D)

We have breakfast at the hotel. Program concludes after breakfast. (B)